Tag: marketing

Want to pull in new customers off the sidewalk by the dozens? By creating a compelling pitch on a visually attractive sign, you can do just that.

When you are looking for signage design Perth that can help you accomplish this goal, you may be tempted to rush off to a sign creator like Kingman Visual with your order based on a few hunches you might have.

However, we recommend that you keep the following pointers in mind if you want to get killer results for your business.

1) Make sure it can be seen by your customers

This one may seem obvious, but you would be shocked by the number of amateurish signs that you’ll see at the average intersection.

Built far too small for anyone lacking superhuman vision, the message of the entrepreneur goes unnoticed, despite the capital and time put into their creation.

When you create signage for your business, keep your target audience in mind. If your goal is to be seen by pedestrians walking down the sidewalk, the size of the letters won’t need to be as large as they would if you want motorists to read your message, as they are in motion and are further away from your sign.

For example, if you want your message read clearly from 100 feet away, your letters should be at least 10 inches tall.

2) Don’t make it too busy

Concise messaging is another key component for shop owners looking to create compelling signage for their business.

Often, there is a compulsion to stuff a sign with as much information as possible. This is the wrong approach, as your pitch can get lost in an ocean of unnecessary detail. Most people are busy rushing off to somewhere else, so keeping it simple is of paramount importance.

Also, don’t forget to leave plenty of whitespace: experts recommend that as much as 40% of the sign should be left blank to create added focus on the message you are trying to get across.

3) Use appropriate font faces and colors

The colors and the type face you employ can induce a variety of emotions in your prospects, so choose wisely when you are laying out your sign.

Use these design features to create the emotions you want to evoke, while avoiding ones that conflict with your intended message.

4) Add relevant images

To add even greater impact to your signage, consider adding images that are congruent with the message you are trying to get across.

For instance, if you are starting a chicken noodle soup street cart, having some imagery depicting noodles, a soup bowl, and/or a chicken will make it crystal clear in the minds of passersby what you have to offer.

5) Make sure the font and background color contrast well with each other

Some colors play better than others. Black on white, which is the scheme used in this blog and many others, is among the most popular.

Black on yellow is the one with the best contrast overall, which explains why caution signs on roadways in North America are colored the way they are.

On the other hand, combinations such as green on red and red on yellow are as appealing as nails scratching on a chalkboard. Avoid these and similar color combos at all costs.

6) Write killer copy

Get your message across in two short sentences … minimum. What pain does the customer have, and what is your solution?

Example: “Cold day? Warm your insides with our dark chocolate cocoa … on now for $0.99 a cup!” Bait the hook, and reel them in!

One thing too many companies drop the ball with is opting for video promotion.

When you stop to think about it, video promotions can open up doors you probably never even thought about.

With that being the case, picture a better world of marketing with video.

Let the Professionals Give Your Brand Positive Light

If you’re thinking video promotions can help your business, the next question is then do you shoot the videos yourself or call the professionals?

Yes, you may be a bit of a whiz behind the camera, but there is much more to shooting a sound brand promotion than just the camera itself.

Keep in mind that you need to decide who will be in front of the camera, what the brand’s message will be, what the setting should be, how long the shoot should be and much more. When all is said and done, that is a lot of planning and detail to think about.

History – Your search should begin with how long each video production company has been in the business. Do they have the long-term knowledge of the community that your business resides in? If no, can they quickly learn about the demographics you are trying to reach out to with your video aspirations? While there is nothing wrong going with a younger company in terms of experience in the business, finding one that has the video and local history behind it certainly does help;

Customer service – As great as their video productions may be, your company of choice also needs to provide unparalleled customer service. In today’s fast-paced world, customer service sometimes seems almost like a lost art. You want a video production company that has not forgotten the fact that the customer always comes first. While many companies earn stellar customer service marks through word-of-mouth, you can also turn to the Internet to get to know something about a company. Along with going to the company’s website, look on social media to see if there is a buzz about the business. Are customers (current or former) talking about the video production company you might be thinking of using? If so, are the comments positive or negative? Remember that some consumers use social media to lash out at bad experiences they’ve had with products and/or companies, so take that into consideration with any questionable comments. Then again, positive comments could definitely lead you to the right company sooner rather than later.

Once you have narrowed down your choices, ultimately deciding on the one company that best suits your needs, the actual video promotion comes next.

Here is another area where it is important to remember just how fast-paced today’s world truly is.

Many of today’s consumers can barely take time to eat breakfast in the morning, let alone sit down and watch a 30-second or longer video. As a result, your video has to deliver a message that makes your brand stand out in their minds.

Once again, this is why letting the professionals shoot your video is so key.

With the knowledge not only behind the camera, but also with how best to present your brand in front of the camera, video professionals can mean the difference between a product or service that gets so-so attention and one people can’t stop talking about.

Since you want your brand to be the latter of those two choices, having professionals on your side is typically the best way to go.

Yes, you could try and muster up the equipment and know-how to shoot your own productions, but there are many question marks involved as to how well it will come out.

By turning to professionals with experience and dedication to the video production industry, you can all but be assured of picturing more business.

Any business owner knows that marketing in smart, innovative ways is key to capturing business. You want to grab the attention of new customers while keeping your current ones returning. A smart marketing plan will help you do this. Keep it alive, innovative and always working.

Do it Yourself

You may be very adept at marketing your company yourself. You’ll save money this way, and get things done the way you want. Remember, the key here is to get the consumer’s attention. Whether they are your current customer or you’re looking for new clients, attention is the key. Here are some fun ways of grabbing it:

Create custom stickers and work them. You can create custom, die-cut stickers with your logo or artwork and send them into the big, wide world. Include them in your shipping and mailings. Stick them on your car and your friends’ cars. Have them in your stores for your customers to grab and stick them on their stuff.

Go altruistic. Share a gift card on your social media. Small businesses have recently shown their altruistic side by screenshotting a gift card (think Starbucks) and letting their customers have a treat on them. It’s lovely to see the gratitude, and when you’d think some person would scoop it all up, no one does. Everyone is grateful and enjoys sharing the good will.

Use social media. Let your followers do the work for you, and everyone benefits. Invite your followers to share the photos with your product or brand in it. You can even offer a reward for the one that gets the most likes.

Create a contest. Let your clients be your marketers. Invite them to design a new logo, come up with a new catch phrase or create the next flavor. You’ll see great results this way.

Sponsor a team or be a school partner. This is a win win. You’ll see lots more customers coming in and you’ll be supporting the community. You can offer seasonal discounts (like promotions on flowers during prom season if you’re a florist) or weekly specials (like 10% off your meal with spirit wear after a football game if you’re a restaurant).

Host a 5K. You can donate the money earned to a non-profit of choice (perhaps related to your business). You can hand out promotions, discounts, those stickers, and other information at the race. You’ll form bonds with partners and let your customers see you in a new light.

Sell t-shirts. Have t-shirts for sale in your storefront or restaurant with your brand. Encourage customers to tag you in social media when they wear them. People love t-shirts of their favorite things.

Host open houses. If you have a storefront, have an open house. You can have wine and cheese in the evening, or cupcakes and cookies. You can donate a percentage of the purchases made during that time, and just be on hand to chat with and get to know customers. It’s a nice way to say thank you.

Stay Relevant

It’s important to stay relevant with what your company stands for. Keep the context to where it makes sense. For instance, you’re not going to advertise your Birthday Parties for Kids in a club where young singles go. You don’t want to advertise that club on the back of your kid’s softball jersey, either. Think how things work together and play off one another, and do what makes sense.

Outsourcing Marketing

Business owners need to wear a lot of hats. Some slip on quite easily, while others may be a tougher fit. If marketing isn’t your thing, hire someone else to handle it. The money spent will probably be worth it, because marketing is an essential part to running a business. Outsourcing marketing can get you started, feed you ideas and get a strong customer base. A consultant can help you with techniques you can work on by yourself. Sometimes it pays to let the experts handle it.

Look around for more great marketing ideas to see what fits for you. From stickers to t-shirts to community clean up days, you can go in whatever direction you desire. The trend in marketing these days is to make it personal, relevant and community oriented. Let your customers see a human side of you and your business. Share it with them, and they in turn will end up sharing it with others.